Fungal AAO (aryl-alcohol oxidase) provides H2O2 for lignin biodegradation. AAO is active on benzyl alcohols that are oxidized to aldehydes. However, during oxidation of some alcohols, AAO forms more than a stoichiometric number of H2O2 molecules with respect to the amount of aldehyde detected due to a double reaction that involves aryl-aldehyde oxidase activity. The latter reaction was investig...

Hydrogen iodide, generated (and regenerated) in situ by the action of iodine upon hypophosphorous acid, was found to reduce a variety of aryl carbinols to the corresponding diphenylmethanes under mild conditions. The generality of the reaction was explored by extension to several diols, heterocyclic alcohols, and allylic alcohols. Several lines of evidence, including occasional isolation of alk...